


OverUnder

by ItsMeChara



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Female Frisk (Undertale), How do you guys have so many tags?, Original Character(s), POV Third Person Limited, Pacifist and Genocide Runs, Plot Twists
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:47:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25571548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItsMeChara/pseuds/ItsMeChara
Summary: A lost cause. A broken thing, clinging to life by a thin, insignificant branch. Running, ever running, from a truth refusing to set you free.That is, until the fall.Monsters, Ruins, SOULS, magic, pain, and puns can bring out the worst - and the best - in anyone.Can you let go when it really matters?Can you forgive the unforgivable?Can you be SAVED?Welcome to OverUnder.Enjoy your stay.





	1. The Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was technically supposed to be the Prologue, but since there is no Prologue option, I'll consider this Chapter One. Please enjoy!

****

**Prologue**

The Fall

She woke gasping for air.

The dream again. Always the same dream. The same pain and the same unparalleled terror. The same ending. Always the same. _Always the same!_

She threw the comforter with a strangled scream and swung her feet over the side of the bed. Her feet dangled as she tried to make sense of her room. It was also the same; nothing had changed. She was not allowed to touch anything on the other side of the room, no matter how much she wanted to, how much she craved to, and she wanted to so badly.

That was it. She couldn't take it anymore. This dark, haunting room was full of too many memories. She could feel the weight of them, threatening to crush her, clawing and screaming, demanding to be acknowledge.

No. She _refused._

With an anguished whimper, she grabbed the sides of her head and folded forward, pressing her chest into her knees. Scalding tears burned as they dripped silently on her feet. She dug her chin into the sides of her knees and squeezed every muscle she could, trying desperately to quell the storm inside of her. All the while the crushing weight pressed, and pressed, and _pressed._

She jumped up and ran to her window. The darkness outside greeted her enticingly. She threw the windowpane up, leaped into that darkness, and landed hard enough to jar every bone. A soft gasp of pain escaped as she fell forward into the damp grass and caught herself with both hands. Every joint screamed as she pushed herself up onto her knees and looked toward the clouded sky. It was cold. She was alone.

She was alone.

She couldn't hold back the pitiful cry. Stumbling forward on feet still tingling from her two-story jump, she began to jog, to sprint, to _run._

The dark woods welcomed her as she burst through the wall of bushes. Branches clung to her, as if desperately trying to stop her from going further and snapped in her wake. She barely noticed. Her heart was hammering, and her breath came short and fast, and still she pushed. Her legs were on fire, and still she pushed. Her feet were punctured by rocks and sticks and tree roots, and still she _pushed_. She would run from this. She could do it. She was determined to do it.

Her vision was blurring. She could feel her body demanding rest or it would give. And she dared it to give, pushed back against the darkness creeping into her vision, and forced her legs to work harder. Her breathing was starting to sound ragged and thin, and she didn't care. She was already drowning; what would it matter if she couldn't breathe?

Another bush stood in her path. She lowered her head as the darkness continued to swallow her vision and screamed in a blind fury to a forest deaf to her anguish. The bush did not give easily; it snagged her entire body, pulling at her shoulder length, syrup colored hair, and tangled in her night clothes. She pushed forward with another scream, tearing the branches as they slashed her skin, and finally tumbled forward through to the other side-

-of nothing. There was no ground to fall to, just an open hole, a hungry maw ready to swallow her.

She screamed again, this time in panic, and tried to turn to grab the bush. She managed to snag a thick branch and turned so her back was to the hole. Though the branch was thicker than others, it was not strong enough to bear her weight for long. In horror, she watched as it snapped, and gravity embraced her.

The world shrank away, and she closed her eyes.


	2. The Flower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't figure out indenting, and it's driving me nuts. No worries, I'll get better as I spend more time here. I apologize for the lack of paragraph indents!

**Chapter One**

The Flower

Her head was going to explode.

Frisk groaned. Everything hurt. Parts of her body she didn't know could hurt throbbed in agony. How in the world could there be pain in her fingernails? What happened to her?

_The fall_ , she thought suddenly. _I was running from.... wait, no, don't think about it! Can I move?_ Cautiously, she twitched her toes. The movement sent a shock up her legs, but she could move them. She continued on to move her feet, both legs, and finally her arms. Her extremities were sending searing pain signals with every movement, but they didn't appear broken. Just banged up.

Finally, she moved on to her neck. If she could feel her legs, it shouldn't have been broken, but she was afraid to move her head. _What if its kind of broken and I break it?_ Frisk suppressed a shiver at the thought. She couldn't imagine what would happen to her if she was unable to move, surrounded by-

-what was she surrounded by? Carefully, she slid her hands over the ground beneath her. She felt the gentle kiss of grass on her aching fingertips, as well as a softness she couldn't quite figure out. It felt oddly familiar. _Are these....are these flowers?_ She wondered in awe, spreading out both her arms to caress the thick blanket of flowers around her. _Did these flowers break my fall?_

Curiosity over came her fear and she slowly, carefully turned her head to the side. Large, brilliant yellow flowers the size of her hands were spread in a circle around her, Many were crushed beneath her as well, emitting a soft scent as she rustled their broken petals. They created a cushion as the flowers crowded desperately around the only light source on the hard, rocky ground.

She stared in awe. First, the flowers were beautiful, and so big, and completely familiar. The feelings they stirred in her chest were quickly squashed, and she hurriedly swiped away a tear before it could fall, ignoring, or welcoming, the pain the movement caused. Second, she realized her eyes were still closed, but she could still see.

_She could see the flowers through closed eyes._

She lifted her hand and looked at it, turning it slowly. She could see the cuts from the bush in the faint light from above. _How....how can I....my eyes are closed!_ She put her hand back down slowly and turned her head to look up. Faint daylight filtered in from the hole far above her, and she could see it. _How is this possible?_ She wondered, reaching to the sky with her other hand. _I...I need to open my eyes._

She tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt like they were being held closed. Frisk felt a flash of panic as she tried again, and again, and then, finally, she felt them slowly come unstuck. She breathed a small sigh of relief as she very slowly peeked open her eyes. They were just stuck toget-

Agonizingly bright white light flowed beneath her cracked eyelids, burning them, and she struggled to keep from gasping out loud. _It hurts!_ She squirmed, but found she couldn't move well; everything hurt so much more with her head pounding. She couldn't see anything, just the white light and some slightly darker shadows around her. _Are those...the flowers?_ She wondered fearfully, desperately moving her fingers to touch something recognizable.

She could have sworn she heard voices, muffled and quiet, but she couldn't see anything passed the bright light and motionless grey shadows. _I can't keep them open! It hurts!_

Quickly, she closed her eyes, and the light above returned to a soft morning glow. She could feel the flowers beneath her hands. Whatever was going on, keeping her eyes closed was the less painful option. _May-Maybe it's like echolocation._ She told herself, pushing against space between the flowers to sit up, trying to avoid crushing more of them. _Or somehow my eyelids are filtering the bright light so I can see. Whatever it is, I'll just keep them closed._ She nodded to herself as if it made perfect sense, but the doubt remained.

Carefully, she slowly rose to stand, testing out how her legs and feet handled her weight. They hurt terribly and tingled in places, but she could stand. Frisk wiggled her toes among the flowers for a moment, staring longingly at her shadow among them, and smiled sadly.

"Thank you," Frisk whispered to the broken flowers. "I don't think I'd have survived without you."

Gazing around, she noticed the cavern was large and dark. She shivered at the thought of how large and how dark. The hole above was too far to reach, and the walls curved away from it as far as she could tell. _I can't go back that way,_ she thought, sighing. _Maybe there's another exit._

Frisk turned, carefully stepping between the flowers as best as she could. She was still pretty dizzy and everything felt heavy, but she managed to maneuver through them. She paused at the edge of the light, staring at a barely illuminated path leading deeper into the cave. It was hard to tell, but the path didn't look natural, more carved, though it was definitely old. _Did I discover some secret ruins?_ Excitement blossomed for a moment at the thought, but was quickly dampened. _I'm underground and trapped and no one knows I'm here. This isn't a game._

She stepped forward, testing the path with a firm push of her toes. Her feet were still bleeding a bit and the rocks were surprisingly smooth; she slipped a little as her blood made the stones slick. She reached out into the dark for, hopefully, the dirt wall of the cavern, and found there was a solid stone wall to greet her. Frisk paused in the dark, gently tracing her fingers along the edges of the crumbling stone bricks. _This isn't natural. Where am I?_ She wondered in awe, leaning her bruised face against the cool stone. _I hope this place isn't haunted..._ She thought suddenly, shivering, and pushed away from the wall.

She continued down the path cautiously, using the wall as a guide and her bare feet to make sure she was still going the right way. Or, hopefully the right way. Eventually, her hand came across a ridged pillar and, past the pillar, open air and darkness. Clutching one side of the doorway, she tried to look past the darkness, ignoring the gnawing realization she was trapped underground.

_A light!_ She could see a faint light further in. It wasn't large, but it was there! Quickly, she brought her right foot forward and tested for solid ground. She wasn't going to make the same mistake she made in the woods. This time, she was going to make sure there was ground before her instead of running without a care. _I'm an idiot,_ she thought bitterly. _I shouldn't have lost it like that. I should have just tried to go back to sleep. I should have just pushed it all down again and moved on, like everyone keeps telling me to do, to just mo-is that a flower?_

She reached the edge of the small circle of light and stared in disbelief. A big flower. With a face. For a second, she thought she hit her head a bit too hard and was hallucinating, but then the flower moved and she jumped back, falling on her behind as she did so.

The flower seemed to realize she was real as well, and it grinned. It's mouth opened and a child-like voice emitted from it.

"Howdy!" It exclaimed happily, it's stalk bending to lean toward her. "I'm FLOWEY! FLOWEY the FLOWER!"

Her jaw dropped. A flower was talking to her. She could hear it plain as day. She could see its tiny mouth moving. It had little powdery eyebrows. It's dark eyes looked soulless, like a dolls', but they showed expression. It seemed happy to see her. Not only was she trapped underground in the dark, but _a flower was trying to have a conversation with her_!

"Hmmm...." It continued thoughtfully, leaning even closer for a better look. "You're new to the UNDERGROUND, aren'tcha? Golly," It chuckled, pulling back into the light. "You must be so confused."

_Understatement!_ She thought, squelching the desire to scream it aloud. Her heart hammered as she staggered back to her feet, and she closed her mouth with an audible click.

Flowey continued, "Someone ought to teach you how things work around here! I guess little old me will have to do. Ready?"

Frisk was _not_ ready.

There was a heavy tingling sensation in her sternum. It was uncomfortable, as if someone was reaching deep into her chest and was trying to pull the very atoms apart. She felt one huge, long tug, and particles of red light passed through her skin. It took all her strength to pull back from the tug and, as she did so, the particles erupted faster, until they bobbed gently before her. Suddenly, the undulating mass slammed together, taking a shape she easily recognized. She stared in dumbfounded disbelief as the tugging sensation dissipated.

A softly glowing, red heart floated lazily in front of her chest.

_What. Is. Going. On._ Trembling, she began to reach up to cup the warm heart, but Flowey pulled her attention back to it.

"Here we go!" He stated happily, the flower head dancing on its stalk. "See that heart? That is your SOUL, the very culmination of your being!" It leaned forward a bit and it's smile widened. "Your SOUL starts off weak, but can grow strong if you gain a lot of LV."

She looked back down at the heart, unable to process what Flowey was saying. Her SOUL? Like, her real soul? This is what a soul looked like, what her soul looked like? It's weak right now? _OF COURSE IT'S WEAK RIGHT NOW_ , a part of her roared from the darker recesses of her mind. _STRENGTHEN IT AND THEN WE CAN MOVE ON!_ Frisk shook her head, shoving the thought back, trying to make sense of the predicament.

The Flower continued, "What's LV stand for? Why, LOVE, of course! You want some LOVE, don't you?"

Frisk's head snapped up and she stared, wide eyed, at Flowey. Yes, love. She wanted that. She wanted to be strong. Strong for those around her. For herself. She wanted to feel the love again, to feel warm arms around her and hear comforting words. She wanted the laughter back. She wanted her life back. She wanted LOVE.

Flowey smirked at her expression. "Don't worry, I'll share some with you!"

Suddenly, five glowing ovals appeared in an arch over Flowey. They reminded Frisk of the two strong magnets that clanged together with a funny vibrating sound she had on her nightstand. How they loved to play with those things. The white ovals spun lazily above the flower, and Frisk watched them curiously, fear momentarily forgotten.

"Down here, LOVE is shared through... little white... 'friendliness pellets.' Are you ready? Move around! Get as many as you can!"

The twirling pellets started floating toward her and she snapped back to reality, leaping away. As she moved, her SOUL moved also, as if it were a balloon attached with a thin cord to her breast bone. She couldn't see anything that suggested it was attached, but it moved with her none-the-less. The pellets floated past her, and Flowey's smile faltered.

"Hey buddy, you missed them. Let's try again."

The spinning pellets appeared above Flowey's head again. As they moved near her, Frisk wondered why she moved away in the first place. She wanted them. They seemed innocent enough. They came from a talking flower, though, and she warily allowed them to approach, holding fast as they neared. She wouldn't move; she would accept this LOVE.

Three of the pellets passed through her right arm and chest with no affect, as if they were simply dust motes caught on an errant wind, but the two that touched her SOUL brought her to her knees. She gasped in agony, feeling pain in a place that has never before felt any sort of physical ache, and tears burned her eyes. She felt immediately weary, as if she would collapse any second. She glanced at her SOUL and saw that it looked transparent, it didn't glow, and only the very tip at the bottom of the heart had any red in it. _What does that mean? What happened? What's wrong with me? What IS GOING ON?!_ She though desperately, clutching her chest and panting.

Flowey laughed maniacally, it's face contorting into a terrifyingly wide, sharp-toothed grin. "You idiot! In this world, it's kill or BE killed." His echoing laughter lingered menacingly as he leaned forward, his dark eyes wild. "Why would ANYONE pass up an opportunity like this?!"

As he laughed again, dozens of pellets appeared around Frisk. They were everywhere; in front, behind, above, and even at her knees. She sobbed as she desperately sought an exit from the onslaught, but couldn't find one.

Flowey's terrifying expression froze, and he uttered one word, "DIE."

Flowey's laughter filled the entire cavern as the pellets began their slow advance. She was completely surrounded. The circle closed tighter and passed through her body; she realized suddenly she was technically not the target. Her SOUL was the target! Out of desperation, she tried to wrap her hands around the pitiful looking, drained heart to shield it, but they passed through with no resistance. She couldn't do anything but watch, tears sliding down her cheeks, as the pellets blocked out the sight of her SOUL, and she briefly wondered if this was what he felt, if he too thought about the pain before death-

Just as the pellets touched her SOUL, they disappeared. She felt a tingling warmth fill her, and her aches and pains dissipated immediately. Frisk's strength returned and, stunned, she realized her wounds had healed; the various bruises and cuts from the fall were gone. When she looked at her SOUL, she saw that it glowed brightly and was no longer transparent. It was vibrant and deep red, full to the brim. She didn't understand what happened, but relief flooded through her. Did Flowey change his mind? Was this the LOVE he was talking about?

But when she looked up, Flowey looked confused as well. He didn't know what happened either.

A bright flame erupted from Frisk's right, out of the gaping darkness of the cavern. She jumped back in fear and brought her arms up to shield herself, but the dancing flame wasn't aimed for her. She watched as Flowey's eyes widened and he was knocked away, his stalk ripped from the mound of Earth. He flew into darkness, shouting as he went.

Frisk couldn't say she was sorry to see the Flower go. However, she wasn't sure she was ready to face whatever could use flame as a weapon. If a talking, evil flower was down in these ruins, what else could possibly be down here? What could defeat a maniacal, magical flower?

_Did she even want to know?_


End file.
